A Nightcap
by LCReagan
Summary: Set post 3x11 after Stefan attempts to drive Elena off Wickery Bridge. Who does she call to come pick her up? Why Stefan's brother Damon, of course. OneShot Delena


Damon had just settled into his third scotch of the evening when he was disturbed by the buzzing of his cell phone, which was setting on the mantle.

Sighing, he stood and walked over to answer, becoming immediately alert when he heard the desperate voice on the other end.

"Damon?" Elena whimpered into the phone. Damon's body went rigid. "Can you come get me?"

"Elena – where are you?" he asked frantically.

"Wickery Bridge. Stefan, he –" her voice was cut off by the sound of her cries.

"I'm on my way, Elena. Don't move," he answered reassuringly, hanging up his phone and grabbing his leather jacket as he rushed his way out to his car.

Approaching Wickery Bridge, Elena was nowhere in sight, which instantly had Damon's mind in full on panic mode.

Pulling his car to the side of the road, he turned off the engine and stepped out. Listening closely, he could hear her heartbeat coming from down near the water.

Damon descended the bank and found her sitting on a rock near the water's edge.

"Elena," he spoke softly as he approached her from behind, not wanting to startle her.

Her legs were bent and pressed into her chest, her arms locked tightly around them, as if holding her together. Damon could see she was shivering and moved to take off his jacket.

He was stopped by her voice.

"My parents died here. Right in this very water. They died because I was at a party and needed a ride home. And tonight, Stefan—" she paused, her voice catching, "Stefan attempted to kill me here in order to beat Klaus. To prove that he had the upper hand. He bet _my life_. Stefan, who is supposed to love me, was reckless tonight with my life."

"Elena," Damon said soothingly, putting a hand to her shoulder, "We should get you home."

Elena turned her head to look at Damon, tears shining in her eyes.

"Damon, he saved me the night my parents died. How am I supposed to forgive him for this?" she cried.

At that, Damon pulled Elena into his arms and held her against his chest, allowing her to let out all of the emotions that had been building up inside her that night. She grasped her hands around his neck and sobbed into his shirt while he stroked her long locks, whispering soothing words into her ear.

Once she'd calmed a bit, Damon helped her to her feet, wrapping his jacket around her in the process. She stumbled a bit as they made their way up the hill, so he tucked her closer to him, allowing her to lean into him.

Damon helped her into the passenger seat and made his way to the driver's side door. As he got comfortable in his seat, he looked over to Elena who had already fallen asleep, snuggled into his jacket wrapped around her, her head leaned against the window.

_Stefan will pay for hurting her._

Damon started the ignition and began the slow drive back to the Boarding House.

Elena startled awake as Damon slowed to a stop; apparently the crunch of the gravel had woken her and she gasped as she sat up from her sleeping position, eyes wild.

"You're safe, Elena. We're just getting home now."

She visibly relaxed, the exhaustion she felt creeping back into her posture.

Damon exited the car and opened Elena's door for her, placing a steadying hand on her back as he took in her fatigued state.

"Time to get you into bed," he whispered wolfishly into her ear, a smirk on his face.

A small smile pulled at Elena's lips at Damon's antics, but it was quickly replaced by a look of fear.

"I don't think I can sleep tonight," she said quietly as they walked through the front doors of the Boarding House.

"You're exhausted, Elena. It's been a long night. I'm sure you'll be able to sleep just fine," Damon said as he led her into the parlor and sat her in one of the big leather couches near the fireplace. A fire was already lit and its warmth soothed the chill Elena had felt since she'd been sitting down near the river. She relaxed into the chair.

Elena studied Damon as he made his way over to the drink cart, pouring two glasses of what she suspected was bourbon, one considerably fuller than the other. He approached her and handed her the less full of the two and seated himself beside her on the couch, keeping the silence that had settled between them.

Elena sipped the drink in her hand, grimacing only slightly at the burn it made as it traveled down her throat. Damon sipped his drink as well, his arm coming behind her on the couch.

She leaned into his chest, curling up into him in order to find some comfort.

"I can't believe Stefan did this," she said quietly, breaking the silence.

Damon kept his eyes to the fire, and after a long pause responded, "You'll get through this. It's not right what he did, and I can't blame you for being angry with him, but you will get through this."

Elena took a moment to absorb what he said, finally settling on accepting his answer.

"Thank you for picking me up, Damon."

"I'll always be there to pick you up."

"Before you got there, all I could think about was how I'd almost died and how Stefan had been the cause of that. And if I could just find you, everything would be alright," she told him earnestly.

Damon let her words sink in and turned to look her in the eye. A few strands of hair had fallen into her face, and he brushed them away with his free hand.

He could see her fighting her fatigue as her eyes began to droop closed. Damon took the drink from her hand before she could spill it and set it on the coffee table and then moved to lift her up so that he could carry her up to bed. Her hand on his arm stopped him.

"No, if I go upstairs there will be nightmares. Let's just stay here."

He hesitated for a moment before settling back down into the couch with her, her arm draped across his waist and her head pressed against his chest. Slowly, he brought his arm down to rest across her back and propped his feet up onto the coffee table.

"Good night, Damon," she said sleepily.

"Good night, Lena," he responded.

After a few moments, when he was sure she was asleep, he pressed a kiss into her hair and settled into sleep, content with the girl in his arms.


End file.
